Buy Ethical Palestinian olive oil
If you like cooking with olive oil, order some from Zaytoun, an ethical business set up to help Palestinian olive farmers sell their goods in the West. The minimum order is about 25 bottles for around £120 – maybe there’s a bunch of you that could get together to make an order. The quality is excellent, and the bottles are well packaged with a label which explains the ethos behind Zaytoun’s work. A great idea for presents – as well as a nice bottle of olive oil, you’re bringing vital trade to people in a poor community.
Zaytoun (Arabic for Olives) is an ethical business to import olive oil from Palestinian farmers at Fair-Trade prices. Zaytoun invests 100% of its taxable profits to help create a sustainable future for Palestinian farmers. Their olive oil comes from some of the oldest olive groves in the world – with some olive trees dating as far back as 1500 to 2000 years.The Israeli occupation has devastated the Palestinian economy, including the olive oil dominated agricultural sector which supports over 65% of the Palestinian people. Over half the olive oil produced in Palestine is thrown away due to a lack of access to international markets. Even so, Palestinians continue to harvest their crops, as otherwise, under Israeli law, unfarmed land is confiscated by the state. Since the start of the second Intifada, the proportion of Palestinians living below the UN poverty level has reached almost 75% .
Zaytoun oil is grown and harvested free of pesticides using traditional farming methods. The process is underway to have the olive oil officially certified as organic & Fair-Trade.
Link: check out www.zaytoun.org for further info and to order your first batch.
And read our news story about Zaytoun gaining fairtrade recognition here.
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Leicester, GB , 15 Nov 2006
Leicester’s ‘Just Fair Trade’ shop stock it as well…
taunton, GB , 01 Oct 2005
Or, if you can’t cope with buying so much in bulk, then get organic oil of all sorts from Goodnessdirect.co.uk. It’s not officially ‘fair trade’, but I think the ‘lines’ between fairtrade and organic are pretty blurred… organic is supposed to consider fairtrade, and fairtrade is supposed to consider organic. Not sure quite how this works out in practice, but I’ve stopped being too fussy about trying to get food that is BOTH organic and fairtrade… as it’s almost impossible!
Godalming, GB , 01 Oct 2005
I believe this action is about supporting the Palestinians who are suffering severe restrictions on the work they can do and on selling their produce, so buying organic oil of other sorts wouldn’t be the same.
The Zaytoun website has a list of many outlets for their olive oil, where you can almost certainly buy just one 500ml bottle, if you wish.
There is a local network here in Surrey and our Fairtrade rep receives a large quantity of olive oil via that network, which is sold at Fairtrade stalls in churches throughout our town.
If this isn’t happening in your area, you might like to make it happen, but equally, you might be able to persuade a local health food shop to stock the product.
It is a high quality oil with an excellent flavour.
GB , 04 Oct 2005
Easy for me – there’s a fair trade shop locally which stocks it (not from that supplier though, I think from someone connected to them who brought it back in bulk). If you’re around Cardiff and you don’t know about them, www.fairdos.com should do the trick.
09 Oct 2005
Good idea and didn’t about this one, so time to change oil me thinks! One tip though if you must buy food, buy in this order #1: Local Organic #2: Local #3: Fairtrade & Organic #4: Fairtrade #5: Organic
Maybe not what people like to do, but food miles are such a problem…
Maidenhead, GB , 16 Oct 2005
I have bought some of the Zaytoun oil before but the only place I had found it locally was in Oxford (a reasonable drive from here so only really feasible if I have to go anyway). However while in our local farm shop today I discovered that they have started to stock it – so I bought some and told them how pleased I was to see it there!
Godalming, GB , 08 Nov 2005
I’ve recently heard that The Surrey Olive Oil Network, through whom we get our Zaytoun olive oil and soap, distributed 550 bottles of the oil in the first year (2004) and this year have already distributed 1,120 bottles plus 24 five litre containers of the oil and 170 bars of olive oil soap! Approaching a three fold increase !
When asked a question about how much help it was to sell even one bottle of olive oil from Palestine the olive growers replied that you could not quantify the effect but that every bottle sold helped them to find food for their children as for them it is a question of day to day survival.
The Surrey Olive Oil Network has also been able to sponsor five children in Gaza, who are ulikely to have been able to go to school without that help. Currently they have been able to send enough for their sponsorship for the next six months – until March 2006.
How about giving Zaytoun olive oil or their high quality olive oil soap as Christmas presents?
Nottingham, GB , 06 Dec 2005
After managing to find some of this at a local fairtrade Christmas fair, we’ve decided to buy a good few bottles as Christmas pressies this year (and have treated ourselves to some at the same time!)
london, GB , 15 Jan 2006
I’ve just emailed a few friends that might like to buy some of this olive oil. I’ll let you know if I manage to get an order sorted….
Exeter, GB , 15 Mar 2006
Good time to concentrate on this – fairtrade fortnight…
17 Mar 2006
I was in Glasgow’s One World shop today, and they had it in stock, yippee! Had to get the nice tall man to get it down from the high shelf for me though…
14 Apr 2006
I have just discovered that a local wee shop in Portobello (its called ‘Ever Green’ if you are ever passing through and need some olive oil!!) so I am going to get organised and do this one…
14 Apr 2006
I have just discovered that a local wee shop in Portobello (its called ‘Ever Green’ if you are ever passing through and need some olive oil!!) so I am going to get organised and do this one…
Luton, GB , 03 Oct 2006
Have just bought the last bottle in my local fair trade shop (Fair Deal, in Luton, but with the current problems in Gaza they are having difficulty getting any more. Can we do anything about the way Israel/USA/Europe is treating Palestine?
Dublin, IE , 15 Dec 2006
you can buy this in oxfam in Dublin, but judging by the map that’s only useful to me!
London, GB , 05 Feb 2007
I managed to get five friends together, and we bought a case of twelve bottles. We were able to pick it up from the distribution point in Oxfordshire, so didn’t have to pay the expensive delivery charge. I think that the fair trade shop in Wallingford also keeps it, if you live in South Oxfordshire.
AF , 04 May 2008
Traidcraft now sell this
14 Jul 2008
I’ve been part of the Surrey olive oil network for some time. Last Fairtrade Fortnight we had Taysir Arabesi who works with Zaytoun in Palestine come to do a talk and there is now a short film available by another supporter group which has him speaking and shows just what a difference buying this olicve oil makes. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=q6gkxZa1vKI.
Holywell, GB , 14 Jul 2008
If you are in North Wales, you can buy this at ‘Just Shopping’ fair trade shop in Conwy
Kilkenny, IE , 18 Sep 2008
This oil is delicious! and you are helping a very needy and deserving community….and to think that Jesus himself might have sheltered in one of the Olive Groves that this fruit is harvested from ……well if that doesn’t sell it!
Luton, GB , 05 Feb 2009
How tragic to read again the comment I amde in OCt 2006 – I have again this week bought the last bottle in my fair trade shop as supplies have dwindled due to Israel blitzing Gaza again. Oh how I pray Obama may be able to change things.
10 Nov 2009
This oil is yummy! and you are serving a very needy and meriting community….and to conceive that Christ himself might jazz sheltered in one of the Olive General that this fruit is harvested from ……well if that doesn’t transact it!
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vernon getzler
Handmade Soap
Handmade Soap
10 Nov 2009
This oil is yummy! and you are serving a very needy and meriting community….and to conceive that Christ himself might jazz sheltered in one of the Olive General that this fruit is harvested from ……well if that doesn’t transact it!
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vernon getzler
Handmade Soap